Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention is related to the field of docking bases. More particularly, the present invention provides a new and useful docking base for media set-top boxes.
Today, certain media content such as digital cable television (CATV) requires a set-top box, or some other form of media-content-receiving component (MCRC), to communicate an incoming signal to a television. Similarly, satellite TV often requires a set-top box. Moreover, a separate box is required for each wall outlet. A wall outlet is the communications port that communicates a data stream to the set-top box. Thus, one box is required for a TV in a living room and a second box is needed for a TV in a home office. In the alternative, a customer could laboriously detach all the communications-port connections interacting with the set-top box of one location and reconnect connections at a second site.
Thus, the current state of the art necessitates duplicating resources, including set-top boxes, and provides no easy way to migrate a connected box from one location to another. These exemplary shortcomings could be overcome by providing a method and system for conserving box resources and/or easily moving a box from one location to another.
The present invention solves at least the above problems by providing a set-top box docking-station system and method. Offering several practical applications in the technical arts, the present invention reduces the number of set-top boxes needed to view a media-content stream on different TVs and provides a new and useful way of easily transferring a set-top box from one location to another.
In a first aspect of the invention, a docking base is provided. The base has a receiving area that mates with a media-content-receiving component (MCRC). The receiving area has a connection port When the MCRC is placed into the base-member-receiving area, media content can be communicated through the base member and MCRC to a receiving device. Thus, the docking base can remain wired to an end-user""s wall, other devices, and television With multiple docking bases, only the MCRC need be removed and slid into another base.
In another aspect of the invention, an improved MCRC is provided. This MCRC has a connector to operationally couple itself to the docking base. Media content is communicated from said docking base to a receiving device when said MCRC is mated with said docking base.
In another aspect of the invention, an MCRC-docking system is provided. A detachable MCRC is equipped with a connector. A docking base has a connection port and can operationally receive the connector on the MCRC. Again, the docking base has a plurality of communications ports for communicating media content to a receiving device.
In another aspect of the invention, a media-component-docking adapter for coupling an MCRC to a docking base having a connection port is provided. The adapter has at least two sides. On one side, the adapter is equipped with a set of communications ports. These ports mate with the ports of the MCRC. On the other side of the adapter is a connection port which is used to mate the MCRC with the base unit The base unit is connected to the end-user""s cable outlet, media components, and display device. In this aspect, many adapters can be manufactured to mate specific MCRCs to the same docking station.
Finally, yet not exhaustively, a method for using a single set-top box between multiple bases to communicate media streams on multiple TVs is provided.